With a Single Pillow Underneath Your Single Head
by cutelikemurder
Summary: AU Skimmons. Daisy's an undergrad. Jemma's a genius prodigy who's already gotten 1 Ph.D & is working on her 2nd. They've been gaming together on WoW in the same guild. They've chatted in group chat but never 1-on-1 until Daisy finally messages Jemma & they start skyping. Jemma has a huge crush on Daisy, but Daisy's been in a relationship that has just ended badly.


**Prompt:** Imagine your OTP meeting each other online. Person B crushes on person A for months before they get a random message from A and start talking. Fast forward a few months and one night B accidentally falls asleep while they're skyping each other. A doesn't have the heart to end the call so they fall asleep with the call still running. (Bonus) one of them wakes up during the night to hear the other mumbling in their sleep that they are in love with them.  
Asked by fuck-it-i-am-a-unicorn on tumblr  
 **A/N:** I really love this prompt. And it was needed in the Skimmons Fandom for sure. Hope you enjoy.  
 **Warnings:** Past SkyeWard (But Ward's not crazy in this, just a giant asshole), FitzSimmons friendship, Fluff and Angst  
 **Summary:** AU Skimmons. Daisy is an undergrad majoring Gaming & Animation. Jemma is a genius prodigy who has already gotten a Ph.D. in Biomolecular Engineering and is working on Ph.D. in Chemical Physics. They've been gaming together on WoW in the same guild. They've chatted in group chat but never one-on-one until Daisy finally messages Jemma and they start skyping. While Jemma has a huge crush on Daisy that has intensified over the last few months, Daisy's been in a relationship that has just ended badly.  
 **Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters, universes or situations. They belong to Marvel, ABC etc, etc. I claim no rights to copyrighted material and this story is purely for entertainment purposes.

* * *

 _You look so defeated lying there in your new twin size bed,  
With a single pillow underneath your single head.  
I guess you decided that that old queen was more space than you would need.  
Now it's in the alley behind your apartment with a sign that says it's free.  
And I hope you have more luck with this than me.  
_\- "Your New Twin Sized Bed" by Death Cab for Cutie

* * *

"Jemma… Hello, Ground Control to Major Tom… Have you even been listenin' to me?"

"I'm sorry, Fitz," she says, sheepishly, lifting her head from her desk. "I was just-"

"Thinking about that girl… the one in our guild," her best friend offers. "Yeah, I know. You've been doing that for the last three months."

It's true. The crush started mild enough. And for the last months she is completely fine with admiring her from afar. Because what isn't there to admire? She plays a Paladin Night Elf for the Alliance and she's a Gaming and Animation major, too. It's a lot more interesting than the work Jemma is doing on her second doctorate in Chemical Physics. It doesn't matter that she's only 21 and she's already got one doctorate in Biomolecular Engineering, which isn't much better; her fields of study just aren't as captivating to anyone that's not trying or already a scientist.

"Her name is Daisy," she tells him.

He shakes his head with a knowing smile. "Just tell her that you like her."

"Are you insane?" she asks. "I wouldn't even know how to begin."

"'Hi, I'm Jemma. I think you're very fit. Would you like to go out for some coffee at some point?'" Fitz instructs as if it's so easy. (Because if it was, they'd both have girlfriends by now, wouldn't they?) "And if she says yes, then sex is on, yeah?"

"She has a boyfriend, Fitz." It comes out more dejected sounding than she would like. But she's seen Daisy's boyfriend around campus. She's heard rumors about him. Comes from money, his father is a politician, his older brother is following in their father's footsteps, and every time he slips up (fighting, drugs, cheating on exams) the university receives a big fat donation and it all goes away. It's a safe bet that Jemma would hate him on principle even if he wasn't with Daisy. But he is and that doesn't win him any points.

"Alright, new plan," Fitz puts forth. "You come out with me and my mates to the pub. We have a few pints. You find us all pretty girlfriends. Everyone wins."

She loves her best friend. As an only child, Fitz is the closest thing she has to a brother. But the idea of going out she can be a wingperson for the whole geek squad is not Jemma's idea of a good time.

"As much fun as that sounds…" Jemma replies. "I think I'll pass, thank you. Besides…"

When she trails off, Fitz's eyes shine with a knowing glint. "You're Skyping with her again, aren't ya?"

Her cheeks flush and she looks away. "What? No… How did you know?"

"I'm your best-mate, Jemma," he says. "You didn't think I wouldn't know that every weekend you're not chatting up the Paladin in our guild? I'm a little disappointed that you have so little faith in me."

"I'm sorry," she delivers her sheepish reply.

Fitz grins. "Have fun. Try get some sleep. We're going on a raid tomorrow. We need our Shaman and our Paladin at 100%."

The hours tick away, slowly and Jemma staves off boredom by playing old PC games from twenty years ago. _Fallout Tactics_ , _Final Fantasy VII_ , _Sanitarium_ , and _Phantasmagoria_ , among others. She's counting down the minutes until nine p.m. when she gets to speak to her crush.

At 9:01 p.m. a window pops up. Seeing the words " _Daisy is Calling You,_ " makes her heart jump into her throat. She smiles, trying to keep her elation under control. But she can't wait to see Daisy's face, or hear her voice. She can't wait to talk about how her day went and what happened in her classes.

When she answers the video call she's surprised by Daisy's appearance. Puffy, bloodshot eyes look back at her, Daisy's face is stained with dried tears, and that brilliant smile is gone, replaced by a forlorn, heartbroken expression.

"What's wrong?" Jemma asks immediately without saying hello.

Daisy takes a deep, shaking breath and lets it out. "Nothing… It's nothing."

Jemma frowns. "It doesn't look like it's nothing. You can talk to me, Daisy. You can trust me."

The other woman looks at her for the first time since the call started and then she offers her a soft smile, but it doesn't quite reach her dark, almond-shaped eyes. "I can trust."

Jemma nods. "Of course. We're friends."

With sigh, Daisy explains what happened that afternoon; the fight with her boyfriend, the end of their relationship, and the realization he was seeing some drama major behind her back.

"I'm so stupid," she says. "Everyone told me he was bad news. I just didn't believe them. I thought… I thought he was different with me."

Jemma wishes she could reach through the screen and give Daisy a hug. She wishes that she is brave enough to put tell her that she's coming over to her dorm where they can binge-watch old episodes of Supernatural or the Arrow and the Flash, and eat barrels of ice cream. But she's scared of being rejected, pushed away. She's terrified of being raw and exposed, like Daisy is now.

"You're not stupid," she finally says. "You were caught up. That's okay. It happens to the best of us."

"It doesn't happen to you," Daisy tells her.

Jemma chews on her bottom lip and looks away. "It's only because I don't date."

This seems to shock her guild-mate. "Why? You're gorgeous. You're a flippin' genius. I mean you're already a doctor. Why don't you date?"

 _Because I have a crush on you._ She wishes she could say those words. But the confession just rings in her head, unspoken. Instead Jemma shrugs and tells Daisy, "I have so much stuff on my plate."

Daisy looks down and sighs. "Oh… Yeah, I guess I can see that. Second doctorate and all."

Why does she sound disappointed? Jemma doesn't want to get her hopes up but it's hard when Daisy glances up at her with a sanguine glint in her dark eyes. She pushes the thought out of her mind and focuses on trying to be there for a friend. Because if it was anyone else, Jemma would simply offer a shoulder to cry without any expectations.

"I'm sorry that he didn't see what he had," Jemma says. "You're an amazing person, Daisy. Anyone that can't see that… well, it's their loss."

The smile she flashes is enough. But her friend looks tired, like she's cried to the point of exhaustion.

"Do you want to hang up so you can get a bit of rest?" Jemma offers. "Fitz says he needs us at 100% for tomorrow's raid."

Daisy chuckles, though she does yawn and settles into her bed. "Naw. I like talking to you. You make me feel better."

There's a knock on the door then and Jemma excuses herself because apparently her pizza has arrived. She isn't gone long but when she returns, Daisy is fast asleep. Jemma thinks about ending the call but she doesn't. It's like she's watching over her, chasing away any bad dreams. She turns the laptop toward her bed, eats her pizza in silence, and then settles in for the night with a textbook, looking over her notes.

Sleep takes her peacefully a few hours later. And she dreams. She dreams of beautiful computer geek who has a deep love MMORPGs and hopefully nerdy Brits.

* * *

Daisy wakes up sometime later, her eyes hazy with sleep. She still feels exhausted and heavy. Grant is an asshole. But truth be told she isn't as sad about their breakup as she should be. The realization that she doesn't or rather didn't love him hits her with full force and that takes away some of the pain of his betrayal.

Looking around she sees that she fell asleep with Skype still running. It surprises her when she looks at the call timer and it's still ticking away. That's when she notices the screen. Jemma's fast asleep in her bed, covered in a pile of notes. She grins when she takes in the other girl's form.

Jemma is adorable. Beautiful to be sure. But that's not what draws Daisy to her. She's got a subtle fierceness. And she's beyond brilliant. She's everything that Grant isn't. Loyal, and kind. She's the kind of person that someone should count them lucky to have. And honestly, the only thing that keeps Daisy from asking her out for a cup of coffee is that she was in a relationship. However, now that's it's over and done with, it's fear that keeps her from taking that next step.

Just as she reaches over to end the call, Jemma stirs. And Daisy freezes, thinking that she's waking up to continue their conversation. But she's just adjusting her position, papers crushing around her.

"I love you…" Jemma whispers in her sleep. "Daisy… you're amazing."

That brings a smile to her face. And she fights the urge to pump her fist in the air, victoriously. Instead she works up the courage to wake her up.

"Jemma…" she calls. "Hey, Jemma…"

The nerdy Brit stirs, amber eyes fluttering up. Daisy waits until she's awake before she waves and her heart melts at the grin Jemma gives her.

"I'm sorry," Jemma says. "I must have fallen asleep."

"Ah, no worries," Daisy tells her. "I fell asleep first… Hey, listen, tomorrow's Saturday. And the raid's not schedule until late afternoon. So… you wanna go grab a cup of coffee in the morning? Say around 9? It'll be my treat."

"Um… well…" Jemma stammers. "You mean like a date?"

Daisy nods. "I mean exactly like a date. A coffee date."

"I think I'd like that."

"You would? Awesome. I'll see you then."

"Good night, Daisy."

"Good night, Jemma."

* * *

 **Thanks for the read. Reviews are always welcomed and greatly appreciated. I'm cutelikemurder on tumblr and murderourlycute on twitter if you want to give me a follow. :D**


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